Stephen Strasburg, Washington Nationals agree to 7-year, $245 million deal
WASHINGTON (FOX 5 DC) - The World Series champion Washington Nationals have reached an agreement on a new contract with Stephen Strasburg. The Nationals confirmed the seven-year deal in a statement sent to FOX 5 Monday evening.
FOX's Ken Rosenthal reports that the deal between the Nationals and Strasburg is worth $245 million - which is the highest for a pitcher in total dollars and average annual value at $35 million.
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The deal will keep the three-time All-Star in a Nationals uniform through his age 37 season.
The largest contract for a pitcher had been David Price's $217 million, seven-year deal with Boston that began in 2016. The 31-year-old Strasburg was drafted by Washington first overall in 2009 and has spent his entire career with the Nationals.
While Strasburg's contract will be the largest total value deal for a pitcher now, Rosenthal points out that Gerrit Cole, most recently of the Houston Astros, will likely get even more.
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In November, Strasburg exercised an option to exit the final four years of his contract with the Nationals – three days after he was selected as the World Series MVP.
Strasburg had reportedly drawn interest from the New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres. The Nationals selected Strasburg, a native of San Diego, as the No. 1 overall pick out of San Diego State University in the 2009 MLB Draft.
WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 14: Stephen Strasburg #37 of the Washington Nationals pitches in the seventh inning of the game three of the National League Championship Series against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on October 14, 2019 in Washin
Strasburg went 18-6 in 2019 with a 3.32 ERA while striking out 251 in 209 innings. His 18 wins was tops in the National League. In his careers with the Nationals, Strasburg has gone 112-58 with a 3.17 ERA while striking out 1,695 batters.
The deal will help keep the Nationals 2019 playoff rotation in place for the 2020 season, featuring Strasburg, Max Scherzer, Patrick Corbin, Anibal Sanchez and Joe Ross.
Click here to watch today's press conference in full
The Associated Press contributed to this report.